Political buttons have been used in the United Slates since the first presidential inauguration in 1789, when George Washington's supporters wore buttons imprinted with a slogan. These early buttons were sewn to the lapel of a coat or worn as a pendant on a siring. The first campaign buttons with photographs were produced to promote the political platform of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The first design for a pin-back button in the United States was patented in 1896, and contemporary buttons have many of the same design features.
Patents for various designs of ornamental badges and medallions were issued as early as 1802. (U.S. Pat. No. 476,939). U.S. Pat. No. 493,003 was directed to the first innovation to the design in 1893 by inserting a sheet of transparent film made of celluloid over a photograph mounted on a badge to protect the image from scratches and abrasion. U.S. Pat. No. 653,150 describes the use of a metal pin anchored to the back of the button to fasten the badge to the lapel of a coat so as to provide u means for connecting the ornamental shell or button to the bar or pin.
Early pin-back buttons from 1898 were printed with a popular cartoon character. The Yellow Kid, and offered as prizes with chewing gum or tobacco products to increase sales. These buttons were produced with a concave opening on the back side (which provided space to insert advertising), or with a closed back, filled with metal insert and fastener. These are called “open back” and “closed back” buttons. In 1945, the Kellogg Company, the pioneer in cereal box prizes, inserted prizes in the form of pin-back buttons into each box of Pep Cereal. Pep pins have included U.S. Army squadrons as well as characters from newspaper comics. There were 5 series of comic characters and 18 different buttons in each set, with a total of 90 in the collection.
Chemiluminescent devices are frequently used for entertainment at parties (in particular raves), concerts, dance clubs, sporting events and in festivals and celebrations around the world. “Glow sticks,” as they are commonly referred to, is a self-contained, short-term light-source. It consists of a translucent plastic tube containing a tiny, brittle container within a flexible outside container. Each container holds a different solution. When the outer container is Hexed, the inner container breaks, allowing the solutions to combine, causing the necessary chemical reaction. After breaking, the tube is shaken to thoroughly mix the two components. A glow stick does not require an external energy source. The light cannot be turned off, and can be used only once.
Glow slicks were originally developed for the military. Several U.S. patents for glow-stick type devices were received by various inventors. Most of these are assigned to the U.S. Navy. U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,002 describes a packaged chemiluminescent material. U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,796 is directed to a chemical lighting device and U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,925 describes a chemiluminescent device. U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,118 claims a single glass ampoule that is suspended in a second substance that when broken and mixed together, provides the chemiluminescent light. This design, with its single glass ampoule inside a plastic tube filled with a second substance that when bent breaks the glass and then is shaken to mix the substances, most closely resembles the typical glow stick sold today.
The Inventor of the instant invention realized that the aesthetic appearance and entertainment value of traditional novelty button could be enhanced by illuminating the button, in particular by illuminating the outer edge. This has been done in the past, however, by using an electronic assembly comprising a printed circuit board with a light emitting diode requiring independent power sources such as batteries (U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,439). Other attempts back-lit the buttons using a transparent pocket in which the glow stick was placed with a translucent novelty button was affixed. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,206). Such attempts have been unsatisfactory as both are incapable of illuminating a pre-existing novelty button requiring the user to select a pre-determined novelty button of the manufacturer's choice. In addition, the weight added by the batteries makes the button cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear and the need to replace the batteries increases the cost to the consumer.
It is desired herein to provide a novelty button whose image is lighted from the side and front. Such a button may be used over and over to celebrate or advertise different themes or occasions.